A Little Different
by meenajon
Summary: Hermione Granger and a mysterious stranger have a daughter to contend with. What happens when she grows up and finds out she's a little different compared to everyone else?
1. Chapter 1

_**This is a completely different turn for me. I'm starting out a story with some original characters, but we're going to shift to completely new, original ones. Had another dream - make another story. Ah, well.**_

_**Hope that you enjoy, and remember - I own nothing that has to do with the concept of Harry Potter. Thanks to J.K. Rowling for giving us the opportunity to play in that tiny little sandbox of hers. **_

_**The original characters come from my dreams, and as such, are the only part of the ensuing fiasco that I would hope no one would try to steal or borrow from without permission.**_

_**Toodles!**_

_**zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz**_

He came to me one night, as I slumbered. To me, it was all a dream – vivid, crisp and clear. When morning came, I had the murky fuzziness that accompanies all good sleep.

I stretched and thought nothing more of it, moving to pick up my robe and towel, heading for the shower. As I wiped the steam off the mirror, I smiled, ready to begin a new day as Potions Mistress of the reopened Hogwarts. McGonagall (I still can't bring myself to call her Minerva, as Harry often did) offered me the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at the end of the war. In turn, St. Mungo's wanted me as a Healer in training. But my love of learning won out over my talent for healing, and at the last second, the Headmistress was unable to find anyone to fill the Potions position. So, with a smile that first day back, I joined Neville Longbottom – the new Herbeology professor – as one of five students who had returned to educate a new generation. We were joined by Oliver Wood – Quidditch Master, Susan Bones – Transfiguration, and, of all people, Draco Malfoy – who took up the cursed position of the DADA professor. I shook his hand reluctantly and wished him luck, for as a student he had always had excellent marks. There were his qualities as a person I was more concerned with.

Four months later, and my life began to change drastically. Here I was, a respected instructor at one of the finest magical institutions the world had to offer. And I was pregnant. Oh yeah.

Now I know what it is that you're thinking. 'How could she not know for almost three and a half months that she had a bun in the oven? Wouldn't she notice something was missing?'

Well, normally, yes. But in my unfortunate case, or fortunate as I looked upon it at the time…since the beginning of the War, the stress I was under as being one-third of the 'Golden Trio' made a cessation of my cycles then occur. I got one maybe every six months, if even that, over a period of four years. So given that simple set of circumstances…no, it wasn't difficult to understand. The roundness of my growing belly and the swift kick that newfound child gave to my bladder one morning during class were all I needed to convince my stubborn self to get to the nearest Mediwitch as soon as possible.

Pregnancy – confirmed. Two problems: One – I was single, and I had been since Ronald died two months shy of the end of the damned war. Two – I had absolutely no clue who the father was.

Oh, I figured out pretty quickly that the dream I'd had hadn't really been a dream at all. I'm not that stupid. It had been a seduction. But by whom, and for what purpose? I had absolutely no idea. All of the Deatheaters had been rounded up after Voldemort's demise and stripped of their powers. The Ministry had no desire to take any chances this time around by letting anyone be convinced of their innocence under duress. No one knew of anyone trying to rise to power at this time. Did I have an unknown suitor; one that was too afraid to show his face, and therefore came to me in dreams?

So it brings me to the day, when I was about six months along, which the stress of a myriad of questions attacking my mind found me unable to continue teaching a class. I sent the first years who were my students that period upon their way, quite early on, in fact. I tried making it back to my quarters, but my ever-buzzing brain combined with those lovely pregnancy hormones caused me to stop where I was, lean against the cold stone wall of an alcove and begin to cry. And I sobbed. And I heaved. I'm sure that after not too long, I looked to be a dreadful mess. But a hand reached out a handkerchief to me, which I gladly took to mop up my swollen face. Then I looked up, and saw the most unlikely of rescuers at my feet.

"Draco Malfoy."

He knelt down before me, as I had apparently slid down to the floor by then, and frankly, hadn't figured out yet how to hoist my cumbersome form back up without looking like a total idiot. Then he did the most surprising of things. He leaned over and kissed me, right on my forehead. It was a tender, gentle kiss like a father gives to a wayward child when they're lost in life.

I know that I looked like some goldfish, sitting there with my mouth open and my eyes wide. When Malfoy smiled, I shut my trap with a snap of my jaw, accepting the outstretched hand to pull me up.

"Come on Granger. Let's go have a cup of tea."

And I spilled the beans in front of that fire in the dungeon that day. Oh yeah. Every bloody thing that was happening to me; every bloody thing that had been bothering me in the teeniest little bit – I let it pour out of me like a floodgate that someone had forgotten to shut. And Malfoy listened…. Patiently, like he actually cared what had been going on with me and mine. Then he did something that floored me completely. He got down on his knees before me, took my small hands in his large, pale and delicate ones, and looked pleadingly into my eyes.

"Hermione Granger, would you do me the honor of marrying me."

_Again, I'm sure I looked like a fish floundering for air._

But the amazing thing is, he convinced me. Maybe it was the shock of the whole thing – the hopelessness of my situation. But after listening to his campaign speech of sorts, I nodded yes; quietly and with a little shy smile. There would be no pressure. He loved me, always had, he said. There had just never been a chance while a war was on, and he knew that I trusted him far less than I could throw him.

"I promise to love you forever, and I hope that one day you will love me, too."

Draco kept that promise. December of that year, we were married there in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Everyone assumed that my large, round form was a result of a union between him and me. But truth be told, Draco had not even asked me for one form of sexual favor; not one. And I learned to trust him, over time.

My daughter was born on March 15th the following year. _The Ides of March_. She was a gorgeous creature, who had pale, delicate features that would surely allow her to pass as a Malfoy. Her hair came thick and dark, like a raven's. She had my small mouth, and I could only hope that her eyes would be closer to mine after time.

"What should we name her?"

I smiled, holding onto her tightly as she gripped some of my long waves in her tiny fingers. Knowing Draco, he wanted to give her some fanciful name from one of the Malfoy's history books…but he graciously kept his ideas to himself, and let me give my daughter something more…normal.

"Candace. Candace Alicia Malfoy. Good enough?"

"Good enough."

Together we watched my daughter grow and thrive like nothing I'd ever seen. She had excellent balance, and would constantly beat other children her age in a Quidditch match. In fact, sometimes she even managed to outrace her 'Daddy' on a broom. It was during the first full moon after her 6th birthday that I began to worry again about her heritage. She began seizing then. Every night of a full moon, she would thrash about horribly. No Muggle medicine seemed to help her, so I went to work, studying furiously about all ailments that could possibly be afflicting her so.

Everything she had pointed back to one thing. My poor daughter was a half-breed. That had been no ordinary man who had visited me that night, so long ago. He had been a werewolf, in human form. And so these seizures she was having, they were her body's way of fighting to change, or not to change.

I poured through books and books about werewolves. I consulted some of the exiled werewolf community to get their viewpoint on my troubling situation. And it all came down to one thing. Candace would be cursed to have these seizures, time and time again, until she one day met her mate. Then she would either change, and become a full fledged werewolf, or she would stay a half breed. But only mating with one of their kind would allow the seizures to stop.

And I resigned myself to keeping her safe. Draco and I did everything in our power to make her attacks easier. Together we made a potion that completely knocked her out during the nights of the full moon. The next day, she was a little groggy, but otherwise unharmed. And she grew tall and beautiful, I am assuming just like her father, because she quickly surpassed my five foot eight inch stature at the age of sixteen. At seventeen, she graduated Valedictorian of her class at Hogwarts – who would have been surprised when you looked at who her parents were – and Draco and I watched lovingly as she crossed the stage.

The day came when we had to say goodbye. As an adult in the magical world, Candace had to make her own decision about whether she would continue on and become and auror or a healer, or maybe a curse breaker at Gringott's. She managed to surprise us all the day she came into the kitchen at our modest home and told us she was going to America.

"Mother, Father, I've been accepted."

Draco almost choked on his toast as I reached over and patted him on the back.

"Accepted to where, dear?"

"Oh Mother, I've been accepted to some small town college in a rural area of the Southern states, in America."

I remember feeling my right eyebrow cock upward and a smile forming on my lips. I turned and looked at my husband, whom I had grown to love dearly, as he slowly sipped his tea before responding with a stern look on his face – but I could see the twinkle forming in his eyes.

"Congratulations Candace. Your mother and I are very proud of you. Now, what is the name of this mysterious school that you've obviously applied to without our knowledge?"

Candace sat down at the table, her amber-colored eyes bright and hands trembling a bit as she passed the brochure over to a now grim-looking Draco. I punched him playfully in the arm as I pulled the pamphlet out of his fingers.

"Oh, Draco, cut it out. You're going to give her such a fright. Let me see, ah, here it is: Clemson University. It's an Agricultural school? Pray tell, dear, what is it that you're going to study there?"

"Engineering. Now, what kind of engineering, I'm not completely sure right this second. Or maybe I'll switch to nursing. You know that would help if I ever wanted to be a healer, mom. I could have a great background in Muggle Nursing before I began to study as a healer."

"So which is it, Candace…nurse or engineer?"

I smiled at Draco's question, remembering how Candace changed her mind almost every second of every day. She had a boundless energy that made her flit from one point to the next. How she ever managed to stay focused on her studies, frankly, was beyond me.

"I think I'll be a nurse, Daddy. Wouldn't that be nice?"

And as they dreamily discussed all the possibilities the school and its studies had to offer, I quietly thanked my lucky stars that she'd chosen a place as far away from the magical community as possible.

But this is where my part of the story ends. This is all about a new beginning of sorts. This is not my story, but my daughter's. And what and interesting tale it became….


	2. Chapter 2

The ink flowed freely from the pen in her hand, held tightly by its long, delicate fingers. Her left hand was itching, almost as if jealous of the right, wanting something to do on its own. So she picked up another pen with the other, and began twirling it about absentmindedly as she concentrated on the letter before her. She was in her European History class, supposedly paying attention to the lecture. But like her mother, Candace's talent was to read ahead and absorb every detail on the page of her textbook. She knew the answers before the instructor ever bothered to call on her. Class participation, after all, was fifty percent of her grade.

But the words...she was concentrating on the words. And in so doing, she was concentrating on the homesickness that would sometimes affect her. While she wasn't paying attention, the gathering darkness of a storm rumbling in caught a few others' eyes - even though it was entirely against the day's weather forecast.

_Dear Mother and Father;_

_It's another sunny day here in America. Okay, it's bloody hot here. Sorry, Daddy. Hot and humid. And the cold air has long ceased to operate in the auditorium in which I am currently sitting. The handlebar mustache on my poor professor has been wilting since the beginning of class. He's quite comical, really - all dressed up and no place to go._

_I miss you; all of you. I miss the way Mummy twirls her hair 'round her digits while reading a good book. Or the way Daddy rolls his eyes when you do, Mum._

_I miss the cat. I miss the rain. Who'd have thought that in only September that it would be an impossible ninety degrees fahrenheit with no drop in the mercuy within reach?_

_Otherwise, I'm fine. Classes are relatively easy, so far. Nothing like Hogwarts. And Muggles, they are so intriguing. All the things we use magic for, they have electronics for their usage. Don't get me started on the moving pictures...I believe my roommate called them movies. We went to see one about witches, and a few things they got right. But most of it was completely off-base._

_Yes, Mum, I'm still taking my medicine. My roomie thought I was doing drugs the first time around, until the school nurse came to check on me the next morning. She found the note from St. Mungo's and understood perfectly (she's a witch! from the Salem Academy!)._

_Well, off I go. I do miss riding my broom, Da. Take care of each other. Christmas break is soon._

_Love always,_

_Candace._

A crack of thunder and a flash of lightning quickly brought Candace back to the present. She looked around at her fellow classmates, who were currently staring out the windows at the raging winds tearing through the trees outside.

Apparently unnerved, her professor spoke loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Class, I will be dismissing you early before this gets any worse. See you all on Tuesday. Have a good weekend."

His decision was met with hoots of laughter as students quickly began to file out of the room to escape the coming rain. As Candace put her things away, she noticed a couple of girls taking their time getting to the door, as if waiting for her to follow.

Outside of the classroom, one of the two stopped her before she reached the outer door.

"Candace, right? I'm Mencia. This is my friend Abigail. What were you doing there in class? Not paying attention to that bore of a professor, I hope."

Narrowing her eyes, Candace looked them over a moment before opening the door in front of her. The wind whipped her hair around her like a halo, dark and wild and free.

"Nice to meet you. Candace Malfoy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be. Converse with you later."

She felt their stares as she walked out the door, heading back toward her shoebox of a dormitory. But she could not see the tiny smiles forming on the girls' lips.


	3. Chapter 3

Candace hadn't gone twenty feet before she was soaked all the way to her skin. She ducked into an alcove and shook herself, almost like a wet canine.

"Ouch. Watch where you swing that mane of yours."

She froze, having thought she was alone. She didn't realize that someone else was already seeking shelter in the same space. Carefully she pulled her long, raven-colored hair together and squeezed the excess liquid from it before turning around to see who her companion was.

For his luck, he was relatively dry. The young man was slightly taller than she, with a mop of cinnamon-colored curls atop his head. There was a twinkle present in his bright blue eyes, like he was fighting on the inside not to chuckle.

"Sorry about that. My name is Candace. Looks like we're stuck here together for the moment, eh? Bloody weather."

She put out one of her slender hands toward the stranger, catching just a hint of a smile as he took her hand in his before giving it a strong shake.

"Joshua. Nice to meet you. Though it sounds like you're a bit far from your home, just as am I."

Candace cocked her head to one side as she listened carefully to his deep voice, and tried in vain to search out his accent. He curiously had none. His words came out crisp and clear and without giving away his origin. Even with her great sense of hearing, she still couldn't pick one up. But she could smell him. Boy, could she ever. Unfortunately, he noticed her sniffing him out, even before she realized what she was doing.

"Down girl."

It was then that he laughed. Infectious as it was, she smiled in return before shaking herself out of it._ He smells sooooo good_. Candace turned and looked at the rain, which was not letting up.

"Looks like we will be here a good while, Joshua. I think I'll have a seat."

Joshua watched as Candace lowered herself to the stone floor below. He also caught on to the fact that she was cold, and beginning to shiver. He put out one hand for her to be pulled up again.

"Where's your dorm, Candace?"

She pointed to the far side of the quad.

"Ah, you live in the shoeboxes. Well, I live in the next building over. Would you like to warm up inside with a nice cup of tea?"

She hadn't shared a nice cup of tea with anyone since she'd left England for the States. It made her frown for a moment, as she thought about her mum and dad. And Joshua didn't seem too bad, and he lived less than another twenty feet away from where they were standing. Candace nodded, and rose to accept his outstretched hand.

"That would be most lovely."

_**zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz**_

Neither one of them had any more classes for the day, so the next three hours were spent conversing about the differences between Americans and Brits. She found out that Joshua was actually from Wales, but had spent most of his childhood in America. The few times his family actually had gone back to the U.K., he hadn't spent enough time there to pick up an accent.

Candace looked out his window, noticing that the downpour had finally stopped. She placed her empty cup on the top of his desk and turned to bid him goodbye.

"Thank you very much for your tea and your hospitality. I enjoyed it, but I must be getting back. I'm expecting a call from my mum right before dinner. It was nice to meet you."

Joshua showed her to the door, and just as she was getting ready to pass through the ones leading to the outside he yelled in her direction.

"Candace, wait!"

He moved quickly to the end of the hall, attracting a little attention from the passersby.

"I'm sorry, but, do you have any plans for this weekend?"

"No, I don't at this moment."

She looked down at her hands, knowing what would come next.

"Would you like to hang out on Saturday? You don't have to call it a date. We can just get to know each other some more."

So far, he'd been the perfect gentleman. And though she was wary of most people just by how she sensed them, this young man didn't make any of the typical warning bells go off.

"Okay. Saturday it is, then. Goodbye."

He watched the door shut behind her and smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Okay folks. This chapter is short, transitional, and its main purpose is to introduce another new "wink" character, or two.. Whoever guesses first what one character's deal is will get a sneak peek as to the content of the next chapter that I've already brain-stormed._**

* * *

****

_What to wear, what to wear? Merlin, what the hell do I have to wear?_

It was Saturday evening, and Candace had been standing in front of her closet for the better part of an hour. In fifteen minutes she had to meet Joshua at the student center so they could go out on their not-exactly-a-date.

The door burst open behind her and the lilting laughter that came with it made her sigh. Her roommate Destiny had come back from the library already.

"Hey, you still are doing that? You should have been dressed already kiddo. Need some help?"

She hated to admit it, but Candace had no clue what to wear on a date in the States.

"Yes, please?"

Destiny chuckled as she walked over to the younger girl's closet. She put one hand on Candace's shoulder and used the other arm to filter through the myriad of clothing.

"Too old looking, too conservative, too warm for this time of year... Ah, this one might do nicely."

She pulled out a dark green cotton jersey shirt with ¾ sleeves. It was light enough to fit the evening's weather, and pretty enough for a college date.

"All right girl, put this with some dressy jeans and heels, and you've got a winner!"

"Thanks again, Destiny. You're…what do they call it? A lifesaver."

The older girl nodded and walked to sit down on her bed. She started some music as she looked up at the clock.

"Candace, you'd better get a move on. You've got ten minutes to get dressed and get down to the Union. Go on…."

She sprinted to the bathroom, ripped off her clothes and changed in record time. A quick look in the mirror showed that her light makeup from earlier in the day was still there, and she swept some lip-gloss on to complete herself.

After throwing her stuff in her closet, she sprinted out the door and tried to slow down right before getting to the Union. Unfortunately, she hadn't been paying enough attention to where she was going and quickly found herself on her bum.

"Oof!"

A deep-timbered chuckle came from the man she had just run into. As she looked up and took the proffered hand before her, she noticed how dark he was. Dark hair, dark eyes, deep olive colored skin. He looked like someone off one of those cheesy romance novels. _And he smells damned good!_

"In a hurry, are you Miss…?"

"Malfoy. Sorry about that. Yes, I do have somewhere to be. I apologize. Thanks a lot."

"Malfoy? Ah, the name's Corrington. Charles Corrington."

She caught the accent. And the surname as well. He was most definitely from her neck of the woods.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Corrington. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm running a bit late."

"By all means. I hope to see you around."

With a nod and a bow, accompanied by a sweeping motion of his arm, she quickly walked past him and into the Union. But she could still feel him watching her, long after she had passed through the double glass doors.


	5. Chapter 5

One of the few benefits of having lived off-campus for a couple of years was that no one questioned if you owned an exotic pet. And for a gray barn owl to be living indoors in this part of the United States would definitely be considered an exotic pet.

Charles stood there, putting the finishing touches on his letter to his uncle, and wondered if he shouldn't just use the fireplace instead.

"Nah, Twinkles, I don't want to hear it when he yells."

He tweaked the animal's beak, simultaneously giving it a treat while placing the letter securely around its leg. This second letter accompanied the first, which had been written to deliver to another, darker character of the magical world. He smiled, opening the window and sending it on its way.

"And if Uncle doesn't give you a treat for such a long flight, make sure you draw blood this time."

He could barely contain the wicked little shiver that made its way rapidly down his spine.

* * *

The evening was a lovely one for Candace and Joshua. After the movie, they took a long walk along the lakefront, where a slight chilly breeze was coming up off of the water. Candace managed a shy smile to cover up the warm feeling creeping through her veins as Joshua placed an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closer.

"Thanks for letting me see you tonight, Candace."

"Thank you for inviting me, Joshua. You're not such a bad bloke."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She giggled. It's something her father would have said, right before her mother smacked him on the arm.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking of what my parents might think of you. That's all."

Joshua turned, stopping and wrapping her in a gentle hug.

"I'm not worried about what your parents might think of me. They're an ocean away. I'm more concerned about your opinion of me."

Candace stood there, looking at his chest for a moment, before she raised her head just a little and brushed his lips ever so softly. He was caught off guard, his eyes widening before a huge grin took over his face.

"I'd say that my opinion of you is just fine."

* * *

Back in Europe, things were not exactly fine, nor quiet. From Italy, Charles Corrington's uncle had his head stuck deep in a fireplace, yelling at someone on the receiving end.

"But how can you tell me you don't care!!! So what if she's responsible!! She's across the ocean for Merlin's sake!!"

"Calm down, would you? Hermione's in the other room!"

"Draco Malfoy, I will not calm down! You're my best friend since Hogwarts, and if you're not going to put your stepdaughter's best interests at heart, then maybe you should think about all of the remaining interests of the wizarding world first!!!"

"Good lord, Draco. Who are you talking to?"

"HA! Too late to worry about the missus, old chap!"

Hermione stuck her head in the fireplace, too. She smiled in surprise as she looked into the dark eyes of someone she hadn't seen since the end of the war.

"Blaise Zabini. What it the devil are you doing in my fireplace at one o'clock in the morning?!?"

Blaise's expression turned from outrage to sheepishness as he thought about what time it was for the first time that early morning.

"Sorry about that, love. But I'm trying to get your dunderhead of a husband to listen to me. You need to have a talk with that daughter of yours. Especially considering…."

Draco cringed. Blaise had finally let it slip. Years ago, Draco had told him about Candace's condition, and had sworn him to secrecy. He shivered, knowing that his wife was about to let him and Blaise both have it.

"What do you mean, especially considering? Draco, what have you told this best friend of yours?"

"Well, dear, I…."

"What he means to say is…."

Both men were cut off by the glare she gave them. Even after all these years, Hermione Granger Malfoy could still manage to silence people with just one look.

"What you both mean to tell me is you've been exchanging sensitive information about my daughter. And now, Mr. Zabini, you had better finish telling ME what it is you've been trying to get my dunderhead of a husband to listen to. Capiche?"

Blaise smiled, and took a deep breath before continuing.

"Well, my nephew, on my sister's side, sent me a letter telling me that Candace had gone out on a date this evening. It's not her dating that I'm worried about. It's WHO she went out with that I'm worried about. The Malfoy name is not unknown in that part of the world. And if word of Candace's…condition…gets out, it could spell disaster for her. And if I know my nephew, he's got a few other things under his sleeve. Let's just say that if you-know-who was still around, Charles would be one of his greatest supporters."

* * *

_**Yeah, I ended it there. Ran out of time in-between all the other stuff I had to actually accomplish today. So take care and have fun. I'll probably update again soon. Toodles!!!**_


	6. Author's note

**_Hello there; Just a quick note to let you know that I haven't forgotten about this one. I just have a couple of warring Muses _**

**_at the moment. I can go two different directions with it to get where my dream eventually led me. I'm just trying to figure _**

**_which road to travel. Take care, and I'll write both out to see which I like best before I post it here. Toodles._**

**_ - M._**


	7. an

Hello all;

I try not to leave author's notes, as I abhor them just as much as you do. But in this case, it is done more as a courtesy than anything else.

I will be without the internet for a short while coming up. Therefore, I'm downloading all of my stuff and taking it to my home PC (I usually write while at work…go figure) to tweak a bit. Then I'll put it back up here. The work PC is now being monitored, and I can go to no other site than Google and my work ID sites. Bummer.

Take care, and look for updates to some of this stuff soon. Looks like I'll have to borrow mum's compooter on occasion.

- M.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Long time, no see, folks! Here we go again, as it were. Have fun with it! - M.**_

_**

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**_

Several weeks had passed, and she found herself dead in the middle of midterms. It wasn't such a horrible prospect, as most of her muggle friends perceived it to be. Candace, like her mother before her, reveled in displaying how much knowledge of a subject she had retained.

As she handed her completed world history exam to the instructor, she looked back at all those staring at her. Apparently she'd finished it in record time, much to the dismay of the others' whose grading curve she had just thrown to the wind. She gave a tiny wave to Mencia and Abigail, trying to be as quiet as possible as she let the creaking old door shut behind her.

"Boo!"

Candace jumped about three inches, putting her books before her in self defense. But she had little to worry about. The young man, Charles Carrington, was standing in an alcove nearby, smoking a dark looking cigarette. He offered it to her with a nod, but she politely declined.

"Merlin's beard, you scared the beejesus out of me. Please, don't do that again. And no thank you, I don't like smoking."

Just as quickly, the corners of Charles's eyes crinkled as he dropped his cigarette to the concrete below, stamping it out with his Italian leather shoes. She bet that they were the extremely expensive kind. In fact, everything about him had an expensive air.

"Would you do me the favor of dining with me this evening?"

One eyebrow cocked upward as she began to grin. "Sure; what time?" She tilted her head to one side, listening to the sounds of his breathing, of his heart. Thank goodness for her keen hearing or she wouldn't have picked up the revving of his heart, conveying perfectly the excitement he was trying so hard not to display.

"Seven o'clock, by the fountain. Would that do for you?"

Candace smiled, liking the fact that he didn't ask to meet her at her dormitory. It was the polite thing to do on a first date. Without hesitation, she nodded. "I'll see you there. Please excuse me, but I have an appointment to keep."

Sure enough, the noon bell was clanging, and soon the walkways would be burgeoning with students filing to and from class. She needed to get to the nurses station before anyone else to refill her medication. The full moon was coming.


	9. Chapter 9

Candace stood at the fountain. The evening had turned cold and she was now happy she'd thrown a sweater over her shoulder before darting out the door. Here she was, thinking she was going to be late, but she'd been standing there for a good while before looking down at her watch. It was a quarter after and still no sign of Charles. She'd begun to give up hope when she heard a set of footsteps from her right. Turning, her face lit up with surprise as she saw him.

"Well, hello there, Charles. And Joshua. How...odd, the two of you showing up at the same time. Did I miss something?"

Charles smiled slickly. He was wearing a dark burgundy sweater accompanied by a deep tan jacket. His hair matched his smile, and Candace felt her eyebrows furrow in her confusion. Joshua contrasted to him, a pair of dark jeans and a light blue cable sweater made them look like night and day. "No, you didn't miss anything, my dear. Joshua and I know each other from way back. Our families...worked together, long ago. I believe you know each other?" He slid a cigarillo out of a shiny metal cigarette case, the end of it lighting brightly in the dark of the evening. The days were getting shorter on this side of the pond.

Joshua rolled his eyes and shook his head, getting a little closer to Candace before he spoke. "Yes, we do. Apparently we're rivals for your attention, Candace. Are we not?"

Candace shrugged. She refused to be drawn in to any kind of rivalry these two might have going. "Not really," she said lightly. "My attentions and intentions, are my own. Shall we?" She extended an arm to each of them, which they readily took. It was an odd sight, really, for her to be stuck between quite opposite men. "So, where are we going for dinner?"

* * *

A short while later they were standing outside of the local theater. There were two movies playing that neither of them wished to see. But Candace had it on good authority that the campus theater was hosting a Rocky Horror Picture Show revival. Grinning from ear to ear, she grabbed both of their arms again. "Come on, boys. You're mine, now."

As they ran back up the main drag to the campus, Charles felt light and free for one of the few times he could remember. He didn't care about family ties, or who was whomever's child. He smiled at Candace, knowing that had this been anyone else, he likely wouldn't have noticed.

"Oh, good lord. Rocky Horror? Merlin's beard." He'd spoken the words before thinking about it, garnering a smile from Candace and a quizzical look from Joshua. Charles shrugged. "As you wish, milady."

Candace curtsied, shook her head and rolled her eyes as she showed her student id to gain admission. Joshua and Charles followed suit. It dawned on the former that the latter was up to something, but there hadn't been a sign so far as to what it was he was up to. Joshua sighed and kept his eyes forward, not wishing to give any indication that he was scrutinizing his rival's every move.

They sat, and scarfed popcorn and soda, and found a water gun somewhere beneath the seats to shoot at people during pivotal scenes. It was the best time that Charles could remember having in a long time.

Somewhere past midnight, Joshua and Charles stopped at the fountain to drop Candace off. Before he could say a word, Candace leaned up and gave him a good night kiss. He looked at her in confusion, then nodded, and turned to go on his way. But not before he saw her do Joshua the same. He hesitated when Joshua tried to take in more of a kiss, but she firmly stopped him with one hand, shaking her head no. This made Charles smile, almost garnering a snicker from him.

As he closed his apartment door behind him, he was startled by the sight before him - the color drained from his cheeks as his blood turned cold.

"So, nephew. Someone has been a busy little bee, now hasn't he? How is the lovely Candace Malfoy this evening?"


End file.
